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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National

'The bravest thing God ever made': Bob Skelton's poem To the Anzacs honours bravery and courage

Giving Thanks: "The photograph is my thank you to the brave men and women who fought for us." Picture: Craig Johnston

Bush poet Bob Skelton - also known as Minmi Magster - wrote this poem called To the Anzacs.

They landed at dawn on Gallipoli

In the year of 1915

To a hail of deadly bullets

What a hell on Earth it must have been

The Anzacs were the bravest thing

God ever made I'm sure

Those words spoken not by a politician

But a British officer at the end of that terrible war. Today it's so hard to imagine

The horrific conditions they did endure

As they fought to gain a foothold

In rugged cliffs above the shore.

Anzac is a story of tragedy and triumph

Of those that gave their very breath

To secure their country's freedom

The price so many paid was death.

Their acts of mateship, bravery and courage are too many to mention here.

So to the names of 8000 poor souls

Who paid the supreme sacrifice for fighting there.

They need no marble monuments

To preserve their time-honoured legacy

It's held in the heart and soul of our nation

From the outback to the sea.

For they forged our national identity

Beneath a far and foreign sky

They left a long and lasting legacy

That will live on and never die.

Though over 100 years have ebbed away

Since they landed on that Gallipoli shore

The badge of honour they did bequeath

Shall endure for evermore

Today we owe a debt we can never repay

To our brave service women and men

And from the Bore War to Afghanistan

May we always remember and honour them.

Bob will read the poem at West Wallsend Workers Club on Anzac Day.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Craig Johnston took this moving photo of the Newcastle Memorial Walk.

"When people are prepared to lay down their lives for the safety and protection of their country, it's the ultimate human sacrifice," said Craig, of Newcastle. "I feel that emotion every time I walk past this magnificent artwork up the very top of Newcastle. The photograph is my thank you to the brave men and women who fought for us."

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